Yu Suzuki Hopes to Make Shenmue 3

Shenmue series creator hopes upcoming Mafia Wars-inspired social game leads to new developments.

By Anoop Gantayat

The next Shenmue game is Shenmue City, a social game that will be released to Japan on popular social gaming services Mobagetown (for cell phones) and Yahoo! Mobage (for PCs).

But after Shenmue City, the possibility still exists for a "real" Shenmue game. Don't take our word for it. Here's what series creator Yu Suzuki had to say.

In an interview conducted by Famitsu.com following a Monday afternoon press briefing where Shenmue City saw its full unveiling, Suzuki said that he wants to make a third entry in the Shenmue series. "I want to make 3 with the same volume as in the past," said Suzuki. "There have actually been a lot of requests from fans for 3 as well. There were even petitions signed by by tens of thousands of people."

The issue appears to be that making a proper Shenmue game will take quite the investment. "Shenmue has the image of grand scale," said Suzuki. "But making something of grand scale requires appropriate preparation."

Shenmue City, which Suzuki decided to make after being exposed to Mafia Wars, may be the first step towards a proper sequel. With Shenmue City, Suzuki says that he wants to show the Shenmue world from a perspective that doesn't focus on the top level graphics and sound for which was series was originally known. If the game is a success, it could lead to additional developments.

The reason Shenmue fans want a new Shenmue so bad is that the story was never completed with Shenmue II. In the past, there were reports about the Shenmue saga spanning up to 16 chapters, but during a Q&A session at the Shenmue City press conference Suzuki said that the figure is actually 11.

Suzuki explained how these chapters are converted into game form. The scenarios are initially novelized, a process that Suzuki feels allows for a deeper depiction of the story and emotional developments. The game's script is created from the novelization.

It would be possible to finish the entire story in one game by just using highlights from the remaining chapters, Suzuki told Famitsu.com. He'd have to make decisions about such areas if given the opportunity to continue with the series.

Whether or not that happens appears to depend on the success of Shenmue City. In fact, Shenmue City itself could be home to post Shenmue II story developments. While the game in its original form will include story elements from the first Shenmue, Suzuki said that if the game takes off, updates could add other areas of the story.

Missing from all this talk of Shenmue City and Shenmue 3 was mention of possible international developments for the series. Mobagetown and Yahoo! Mobage are currently Japan-only services, so it seems that, initially at least, only Japan-speaking players will be able to make a trip back to the Shenmue world once Shenmue City service kicks off this Winter.